BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said all throughout the offseason program, training camp and the preseason that the only important day is today and the focus has to be there in order to maximize the work put in during the week in preparation for a game.
Kitchens reiterated the importance of the “one day at a time” mindset during his press conference prior to Wednesday’s practice, and just in case that message did not sink in already, he pulled out another stop with the musical selection during warmups.
Kitchens had the song, “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica blasting from the speakers as the team began its preparations for Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
“We’re continuing that ‘one play at a time’ mantra from the standpoint of how we approach things,” Kitchens said. “One practice at a time. We can’t do anything about Sunday today, except prepare for it to give our fans the best product that we possibly can on the field Sunday.
“I know you guys don’t believe me, but the only thing I’m truly worried about is today and going out and having the best practice that we can today. I’ll worry about Sunday when it gets here. We’ve got five days until Sunday.
“I know this, if we don’t do our work and get what we need to out of Wednesday’s practice, Sunday’s not going to matter. The same with tomorrow, the same with Friday. We’re going to focus on today, the same as our other coaches, the same as our equipment guys, our trainers. Everybody’s focused on today and doing the best job that they can do for the Browns and for these fans today.”
After breaking down the game film, Kitchens believes he has the attention of the coaching staff and players because “Tennessee offers tremendous amounts of challenges” on game day.
“They’ve got a very good defense,” Kitchens said. “They run the ball, and are as physical as any team in the league, and of course, their quarterback (Marcus Mariota) speaks for himself as far as being able to make plays in the pass and the run game. We’ve got our work cut out for us.
“We put the same emphasis on every game. We truly have been preaching since the spring that it’s one day at a time. We can’t do anything about Week 2. We’ve got to do something about Week 1, so we don’t even mention any other games. This is the only one we’re focused on. We need to be because they’re a good football team.”
In order to prepare for the Titans, the Browns’ coaching staff has watched film from Tennessee’s preseason games, as well as study from last season. From there, they will continue formulating what they hope will be a successful game plan come Sunday.
“We’ve got to make sure all of our bases are covered,” Kitchens said. “That’s our job to do that, prepare our guys to go out and play the very best that they can without the fear of failure.
“I want them to go out and just lay it out there on the line every single snap, every single play, every single series, all the way until the clock hits zero. Do not look at the scoreboard. I want them to play the best that they can play each play, no matter what the score is.”